42 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. ^ 



about in the midst were gigantic centipedes, uncomfortable long- 

 legged Scolopendri, also a Scorpio maur'Uanicus with malignant 

 protruded sting ; while a wonderful thing, the extraordinary- 

 rare Salamander pleurodeles, appeared to be looking at me very 

 reproachfuHy, because I wished to drive him from such a pro- 

 ductive hunting-ground. I had not, however, time to delight 

 myself long with this sight, so immensely full of enjoyment to an 

 enthusiastic naturalist, for it was before all things necessary to 

 capture the active insects before they could disappear into their 

 hiding-places, which nine-tenths of them generally succeed in 

 doing. One can easily believe that under such circumstances I 

 did not rest until the last stone in this prodactive locality had 

 been two or three times turned over, and was often obliged, 

 in order to bring back my captures (when all bottles and boxes 

 were filled), to use my pockets and pin them up in them. 



On leaving the foot of the valley the path rises with the ground, 

 and the soil and fauna change considerably. The former is here 

 slightly mixed with sand and overgrown with asphodels, at that 

 time in bloom, and much low brushwood. This locality appeared 

 to me a likely place for finding eyeless beetles, and as I was 

 already assured by the capture of Crypharis that blind beetles 

 were to be found at Tangier, I set to work, b}'' means of an iron 

 lever, to raise the stones which were fixed the deepest in the 

 earth, and after barely a quarter of an hour's work I had the 

 satisfaction of discovering a new Anillus {masslnissa, m.), which 

 was soon followed by a new species of Silvanus [Typhlocharis 

 silvanoides, m.), and a new Crypharis {tingitana, m.). As most 

 of the readers of these lines will probably never have had an 

 opportunity of observing these interesting insects in their natural 

 state, I will add some words about the capture of them. As soon 

 as a stone has been turned over, one must hasten to inspect the 

 under side of it, giving only a secondar}^ attention to the damp space 

 beneath it. Suddenly the searching eye perceives one, then two 

 Anilli rise sleepily upon their fore-legs, apparently incommoded 

 by the warm rays of the sun, never experienced until now ; they 

 flourish their delicate antennae in the air, turn themselves first to 

 the right and then to the left, without knowing where, until they 

 suddenly hurry away in the most doubtful anxiety. The inex- 

 perienced collector would be contented to arrest these fugitives 

 and then turn to another stone, but he would in this way have 



